The Challenge of Maintaining Faith and Righteousness
It will not be very easy to find such church in the world today for many ministers and believers are falling out of faith in Christ and righteousness of God continually. Many have gone out of God’s way to acquire power, riches, marriage, children and material things. Their hands, hearts and ways are defiled, polluted and contaminated. This ought not to be so.
Many churches and church leaders today are not patient to wait for God’s time but have gone out of their ways to get more members, money and power at all cost. Even though they are still ministering, preaching and helping people, they are no longer righteous. Their names are no longer in the book of life. They have deserted the way and received defiled gifts and talents that have polluted their hands in their search for temporary strength and contaminated power.
As a true minister of the gospel, do not let your eyes deceive you and do not let your heart be carried away. Do not be deceived by gigantic church buildings, big crowds, precious things like gold and diamond, big cars, big apartments, traveling all over the world with family members and enjoying the best things of life. Some churches that are enjoying these good things of life today have soiled their ministries and all manner of abominations on earth have permeated their ministries. Enjoying good things of life is not evil. However, many ministers and members have gone out of their ways to defile their hands to get them. On the contrary, believers in Ephesus were patient and waited until their blessings came without going out of their way to acquire them. They labored, rejected evil ways and hated the deeds of Nicolaitans. The body of Christ ought to be on your guard about what is written about the great whore:
‘And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH’ (Revelation 17:4-5).
The Corruption of Modern Ministry
Many pastors are corrupted because they do not want to suffer or be tenants for a long period. They do not wish to stay hungry or trek with the legs while doing ministry. They want to build the biggest cathedral in the city and know everyone that matters in government. They want to build houses and destroy members’ lives with their occultism and host the biggest programs that would attract all the rich people in the city.
Paul and his fellow workers saw the work of ministry differently. Hear him:
‘Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not… For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal’ (2 Corinthians 4:1, 16-18).
‘Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory’ (Ephesians 3:13).
It was obvious that in Ephesus, God called ministers of the gospel into ministry, ordain them divinely, and empower them from heaven. That is the reason ministries in the apostolic era have heavenly mark, support and grace to succeed in God’s timing. However, today, wealthy and influential friends and family members call many ministers into ministries. Some ministers are in the church for the purpose of entertainment. Sponsors with defiled and ill-gotten wealth from fraud and armed robberies call other ministers into ministries too.
This is exactly what the church of Christ is suffering on earth today. It is not easy for ministers that are called through dubious means to be patient or ready to suffer for the sake of Christ for the real power to do ministry. The fall of such ministers is usually calamitous, sudden and unannounced. While their outward appearance looks flesh, glorious, their strength expires without notice. They can die or perish without remedy under light affliction. Ministers who are not patient to wait for God’s time pursue temporary things and exchange their souls and souls of their followers for earthly things.
The Reward of Patience and True Power
True believers, ministers and members who are patient like the Ephesians may suffer or faint, but at the end, God will renew their lives. Any suffering, delay or denial you are going through now because of Christ is temporary. You may have a delayed promotion, ministry or remain a tenant without a car or anything to show as a true child of God but if you could really wait, and pray in hope and faith, your blessing will be eternal. The Ephesians maintained sound doctrine, laboring and persevering for the sake of Christ. They were steadfast in endurance and courageous in service to God and humanity. They hated evil practices that were common in their day that were allowed by other churches. At the end, they received a letter of commendation from Christ. If Christ writes to you now, will He praise you the way and manner you counsel your members and relate with your immediate family?
If Christ should return today or writes you a letter, are you worthy of His praise? Do you imagine that He will commend the way you handle offering, finances, seed faith, prophets offering and all the monies that come into the church? If Christ should write to you now, will he commend you the way you pursue, acquire and use things and the way you live your life?
In Ephesus, it was assumed that people who purchased little Diana goddess are powerful. Likewise, today in our churches, we fall easily for people who prophesy, gather big crowds, build big cathedrals and rate them as most powerful. We revere people who drive big cars and live in mansions without considering their spiritual worth.
In our churches today, we regard ministers to be powerful based on the amount of crowd they gather and amount of money they have, etc. It was like that too at Ephesus where people were doing unimaginable things for the sake of getting power, even from the devil. But Paul wrote to Ephesians Christians and directed them to where real, lasting and eternal power is. He wrote:
‘Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might’ (Ephesians 6:10).
Child of God, would you believe that there are general overseers, bishops, pastors, reverends, workers and ministers who are witches and wizards. They are occultist, wicked, murderers, destiny killers, fraudsters and very powerful in enchantment, bewitchment and divination. They destroy their members and sit upon their destinies. But in Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus, he informed them of the power that is in the Lord. If you want to be strong, be patient like the church in Ephesus and ask for the power that comes from the Lord. Every other power will fail but not the power of His might.
‘And I will wait upon the LORD, that hides His face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for Him’ (Isaiah 8:17).
Godliness and contentment is a great gain and the ability to wait for God’s power until it comes is the victory of all victories. I am a living beneficiary of God’s Word as written in Job 17:9 and Isaiah 8:17.